Professional Speaking

I have had the privilege to have presented on feeding topics during my entire my career, at the Sydney Children’s Hospital as a young therapist working in acute and rehab caseloads, I presented on feeding assessments, saliva management and tube feeding. At the John Hunter Children’s Hospital, I presented to Newcastle Speech Pathology university students on a range of feeding topics both in lecture and tutorial format.

In private practice, I am regularly asked to speak with doctors, nurses, parents and other professionals on fussy eating, tongue ties, chewing and difficulties transitioning to solids as well as diagnosis specific feeding topics such as feeding difficulties commonly seen in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. These talks have been arranged by the Hunter Postgraduate Medical Institute (HPMI), local GP clinics, special needs schools and non for profit organisations.

I regularly run parent related feeding workshops with my colleagues (Dietitians and Occupational Therapists) and enjoy helping parents develop action plans to use with their child’s feeding at home.

Feeding talks are generally 2 -3 hours, handouts are included and both lecture format and small group work set ups are utilised in my talks. I think it’s helpful for both professionals and parents to be able to understand from a practical sense the feeding skills involved with children. Cost is based on an hourly rate of $175/hour and depending on the topic, additional time may be suggested.

I also run small parent groups (6-10 parents) working on specific topics including fussy eating, these groups have always worked well in not only helping children improve their feeding skills but also create a powerful and supportive parent group that can continue to support each other in the years to come. Costs for these groups are $80/parent/session with a minimum of 6 parents over 2 hours (morning tea and notes included). Generally 5 sessions over a fortnightly period has worked well.